


Lessons Part 1: Lessons from Race

by Mendeia



Series: What Beyond (The Temple Steps Alight) [9]
Category: The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest, The Sentinel
Genre: Crossover, Gen, Oneshot, Survival Lessons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-19
Updated: 2015-09-19
Packaged: 2018-04-21 10:56:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4826510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mendeia/pseuds/Mendeia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Your captors want you to feel powerless and helpless and alone. They may tell you no one will come for you. They may tell you no one knows you are missing. They may tell you no one cares for you. Or they may tell you it is impossible for someone to find you.</p>
<p>"This is a lie."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lessons Part 1: Lessons from Race

**Author's Note:**

> Kind of a serious one today. Note that the contents here are as accurate as I can make them, but the focus isn't on negotiation or on keeping your head down to survive first. That's not how this crew plays the situation in question. But for you here in our real world, always, ALWAYS try to build rapport and use your words and your humanity to gain advantage first; trust your instincts and keep yourself safe. But if that fails, if you can only fight and escape, well, maybe Race's advice will be of some use.
> 
> But I'm praying only our dear fictional characters ever need to use it.
> 
> Enjoy!

It was a strange mix of people that gathered in the barn. They had chosen the barn because it was a big enough space for a crowd that wasn't normally in use by other groups. Someday, of course, the SELF lodge would sport livestock of their own, but at present the barn was mostly used for informal gatherings. And, sometimes, when the general feeling at the lodge had reached dismal, they hosted all manner of entertainment, from dances to talent competitions to variety shows there, packing it with chairs and mats and throwing the doors wide open to catch the fresh air. They didn't need to store anything in the barn since there was a storehouse across the garden, and though it often wound up hosting self-defense or martial arts classes, today those had been moved to the grassy field outside.

Race perched on a stool in the back of the open area of the barn, looking at his students for the day.

All the kids from the Chancery were present, as well as Jim, Blair, and Benton. Emeline and Hasna had sent Joel off with their daughters and had set themselves up in a couple of lounge seats from the pool. In fact, virtually everyone from the rescue outside Murmansk who spoke English had gathered. Simon was not in attendance – he and Brian and Henri were on shift at the police department this particular weekend – but he had given strict, stringent, _loud_ instructions to Blair Sandburg in particular to take notes. A few of the other younger Sentinels and new arrivals were scattered in the back of the room as well.

Race looked to Jim questioningly. The Sentinel tipped his head slightly and listened. It was, as Blair often remarked, a major advantage with having classes made up of Sentinels – they could always tell if someone was running late and hurrying to join them, so they never started without anybody. While SELF did have a schedule and they tried to stick to it, they didn't punish people for being late or having an absence. They were still a tribe first and an institute for learning second.

But Jim shook his head, hearing no frantic motions heading in their direction or shouts of "I'm coming, wait for me!" so Race stood up.

"Good morning, folks," he said with a smile. "Thanks for taking time out of your usual Saturday routines for this. Especially you, Blair," he winked at the Guide.

"Hey, it's not just me!" Blair protested with a smile. "Everybody raise your hands if you've ever been kidnapped or held captive before."

Virtually the entire room raised their hands except for Eric, Ngama, Kaimi, and a very few of the Sentinels. Race noted that Lai had her hand up in the air right beside Daryl and the Quest kids. _What fun lives we all lead_ , he thought grimly.

"Right," Race nodded, putting his own hand in the air. "And that's the point. So, welcome to your crash course in what to do if you are abducted or captured."

"First of all and the most important thing I can say here is this: don't ever give up. _Ever_." Race looked steadily through the room, making eye contact with every single individual present.

"Your captors want you to feel powerless and helpless and alone. They may tell you no one will come for you. They may tell you no one knows you are missing. They may tell you no one cares for you. Or they may tell you it is impossible for someone to find you.

" _This is a lie_.

"No matter what the circumstances, you are not helpless. No matter how powerful or clever your captors, if you are alive and conscious, you have something. You have yourself."

Race put up one hand. "And I give you my word, _we will find you_."

Jim actually stood from where he had been leaning to one side. "Every person in this room, every person at this lodge, every single member of SELF is under my protection. If no one else, _I_ will come for you. If you disappear, I _will_ find you. I will never give up until I bring you home, dead or alive."

"Raise your hands again," Race said, "if you swear on whatever you hold most dear that you will search for one another, no matter what."

Every hand in the room shot up. Race noted the fierce, blazing looks on many of the faces – the raw, undisguised loyalty and devotion between friends, Sentinel and Guide, family members.

"So. Rule number one. _Do not give up_. Any moment you start to lose hope, I want you to remember all these hands. I want you to remember Jim. I want you to remember that you are not alone, and that we will come for you. Hold onto this."

"Sentinels," Blair said, his voice taking on the low, almost hypnotic tone he had perfected in many, many sensory control classes. "Imprint this in your sense memory."

"And we," Hadji said in the same tone, gesturing to himself and Kaimi and Blair, "will imprint it in our spirits."

For a moment, all the Sentinels seemed to freeze, almost as if they were zoning. But Race knew this technique, at least, how Blair had described it. Sentinels had a strong ability to perfectly recall anything they had imprinted somewhere on their senses. They weren't all skilled at actually retrieving those memories at will – only one or two showed any real talent for it so far – but they all knew how to imprint in the first place. It meant that their senses would remember even if the rest of them forgot about this moment. It meant there would be a rallying cry to hold on even when all other conscious will had given way.

"Good," Race approved. "Now, rule number two. Because you are not powerless and because someone will come for you, you need to be alive and whole to be rescued or to escape on your own. Your safety is something you may not be able to control, but in as much as you can, you must.

"For example, if your only opportunity to escape is to leap off a six-story building's roof, don't try it. You're better off whole and able and still trapped than dead or injured so badly you can no longer help yourself. This also means," he pinned Jonny and Blair and Benton and Jessie with a glare, "don't irritate your captors to the point of really hurting you. If they took you alive, they need you alive. Don't make them question that."

Jim leaned forward and jabbed Blair hard. He stuck out his tongue.

"That said," Race's voice went still with repressed emotion, "you have to expect that you'll get hurt. You might be able to control when it happens or how, but you need to be ready to expect some pain. Don't let that get to your head. You can't get through this while being afraid of getting hurt. Get used to the idea as quickly as you can.

"Your next priority after your own safety is escape," Race continued in a more business-like tone. "If escape is impossible, such as you are stuck on an island in the middle of the Arctic ocean and you don't have a coat or a boat," he nodded at Hasna and Emeline, "then gather information instead. Because we will come for you. So make sure that when we get there you know as much as possible about everything – the layout of the place, possible blind spots, security, guard rotations, even if there are people on-site who might be sympathetic or willing to help you. If you can't get out, go deep into the place until you could invade it yourself. By the time we get to you, we might need something you've picked up."

Race gave that a moment to sink in, noting the nodding heads.

"Now, some of your experiences notwithstanding, most people who capture you aren't going to cart you to a deliberately-constructed prison. And anything short of a prison isn't designed to work as one. It may not be easy, but a warehouse or an office building or an apartment isn't actually built to keep you in. Time for audience participation. Examples?"

Hadji's hand went straight up. "Most public office buildings have drop ceilings or ceiling tiles to conceal wiring and light fixtures. The tiles themselves are flimsy and easy to break, but above them there is a crawlspace which is often lined with metal supports that will hold your weight. If you can get into the ceiling, you can evade capture and sometimes even move around the area freely as not all walls will pass through the false ceiling."

"Very good," Race approved. "What else?"

"If you're in the boot of a car, you might be able to kick out a tail light and wave," Lai suggested. "Also, lots of cars nowadays don't lock the boot from the inside so you might be able to find a release hatch."

"Also true," Race nodded.

"The doors in a standard house or basement aren't made to be unbreakable," Jim put in. "You might be able to take the hinges off or else just kick it open, though that would make a lot of noise."

"Warehouses have lots of access to the outside," Blair spoke up. "There's always going to be big fans and huge ducts to bring in air from the outside. Basements, too. Though you might have to do some climbing."

"Okay, but what if you are, for example, locked in a bathroom with no vents or windows or anything?" Kaimi asked. "And you're not strong enough to kick down the door?"

"Come see me after class for door-kicking training," Jim winked at her.

"It's a good question, though," Race said. "Some places aren't built to hold you but they'll do the job. Which means you need to make sure you leave clues to tell us you were there. Use your hands to leave clear fingerprints everywhere, even under the toilet seat if you're in a bathroom. Put hair down a drain and in cracks in the walls or tiles. Take a credit card and put it in a drawer or up a light fixture. If you can't get out, make sure there's no doubt about where you were in case you're not there anymore when we arrive."

"And remember you'll have Sentinels on your tail," Jessie said. "If you write a message really clearly on a wall or something with your finger, especially if you're dirty or wounded or sweating, normal people might not see more than a few smears, but the Sentinels would be able to distinguish the oils on your fingers."

"So might a cop with the right equipment," Jim added. "Try it. Try anything. The more evidence you leave behind, the better your chances of being found." _Or of helping us convict whoever put you there_ , he didn't say, but Race could hear it in the silence.

"Next," Race moved on, "the most important weapon isn't one you pick up to use to fight back. It's you. How you look, how you act, what you say, even what you're wearing and how you carry yourself can change the equation. If you look helpless and mousey, your captors might underestimate you. If you seem oblivious or like you're not paying attention, they may let information drop. You have to decide for yourself how you want them to see you. Maybe you want them to think you're a huge tough guy like Ellison because they'll hesitate before they hurt you."

He stopped. "Let's try an experiment. Jessie, Benton, stand up and come over here."

They did, shrugging at one another.

"Benton, I know you've got a pair of glasses in your pocket. Take them out and put them on. Jessie, just stand like you normally do."

As they complied, Race said, "Notice that Benton, in the coat and glasses, has the appearance of an academic. He's a big, tall guy, sure, but the coat hides his real size. Jessie, on the other hand, in just a t-shirt, looks lean and fit." He turned to them. "Benton, hand Jessie your glasses and sport-coat."

The instant Jessie donned the jacket and glasses, the impact was felt. "Now you can see Benton's arms and his real size in just his short-sleeved shirt," Race said. "Now he looks like a rugby player rather than a reader. And Jessie?"

"Looks like she's playing dress-up," Jonny couldn't help himself, earning a few chuckles.

"That, too," Race grinned. "Jess, pull your hair up now."

As she complied, he said, "The coat and glasses make Jessie look smaller because the coat is big on her, and people will always associate glasses with some kind of physical inferiority. Sorry," he winked at Blair who shrugged back. "But look at the difference now between having her hair unbound and having it pulled back."

"She looks even smaller, more studious now," Kaimi said. "More buttoned up, and less likely to come out swinging."

"Exactly. How you look can change the way your captors think about you. It can be a disguise or it can be armor. Use it. Thanks guys," he gestured for them to sit.

"If the best weapon is you even before you start fighting, the second-best weapon is whatever you need it to be. And anything, _anything_ can be a weapon. Lai," he pointed. "What weapon do you have on you right now?"

She never hesitated. "This," she pulled a pair of hair sticks from her thick dreadlocks. "Nobody will ever take these off me, but I could poke somebody in the eye with them."

"Even if you don't break the skin, jabbing someone in the throat or face or any other soft tissue will hurt enough to get them to flinch," Race nodded. "And maybe all you need is for them to drop their guard long enough for you to run. Hadji, what you got?"

"I carry a sharp, long pin in my turban," he answered promptly. "It could easily pass through a man's hand."

"And cause them a world of hurt while you bolt. Good. Ngama?"

"I do not know that anything on my person is useful," he said after a moment, "but based upon what you have said, that which I need could be anywhere around me. A towel rack or a shower curtain could be sufficient, or even hair-spray in someone's eyes as in Kaimi's bathroom example."

"Now you're thinking," Race nodded. "You aren't looking for a sword or a gun to kill people. You just need an advantage to make them stop long enough for you to run. If you fling a shower curtain over somebody's head when they come to collect you, you can probably rush them, knock them backwards, and suddenly you've got a margin to get clear of that bathroom. Every step after that is a good step. Don't waste time trying to beat up everybody you see," he glared at Jim, Jessie, and Jonny this time. "Just put them down hard enough to make a break for it."

"But if you want lessons on putting somebody down, we can do that, too," Jim said with a small smile.

"Yes we can. I hold that class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and I think all of you know that," Race nodded.

"Now," he said, looking at some of the Sentinels from the Providence Partners Interglobal facility, "tell me why escaping is hard. What's the worst thing about it?"

Emeline raised her hand. "You mean _other_ than explosions, floods, and an ill-timed childbirth?"

The crowd laughed.

But Emeline continued, "It takes time. Just because you may be free of a bathroom or a car, you are not yet safe. You must gain distance and you must elude your captors."

"Got it in one," Race said. "You might be ready to run and you might be able to put a captor down long enough to give you the chance, but actually getting away means crossing yards or maybe miles of distance without being caught again or hurt in your attempt. You might need to switch tactics depending on what happens. You might need to get out of the bathroom but hide a couple of doors down until you have a clean shot at the stairs. You might break out of a conference room but you have to go down several stories in the building to street-level. You might escape the trunk of a car, but you have to get to where you can flag down help that isn't associated with your captors."

Race grimaced. "That's probably the most dangerous part. You're on the run, but you're not free yet. It's at this point that your captors may get desperate. They may decide it's easier to shoot you than run the risk of you getting away clean. You have to be ready for anything until you're truly safe.

"So, assume you have to cover your tracks. You might have to leave false trails or hole up somewhere while they search for you. In which case, I'm going to teach you a little secret."

Race pointed at Jonny. "Let's assume this complex wasn't full of Sentinels, but regular people. Where's the best hiding place?"

Jonny thought for a moment before answering, "Somewhere nearby. Like, within the perimeter. At least at first."

"Good. Now tell us _why_."

"If this whole place was full of bad guys, as soon as they know I'm out, they're going to start searching. They'll begin closest to wherever I was – the lodge, probably. Then they'll fan out. But they won't be looking too closely right outside their doorstep. They'll be expecting me to make a run for the woods and get as far away as I can. So if I hide out maybe right at the edge of the tree-line, I can let the search party go past me and sneak out behind them later."

"It doesn't work with dogs or Sentinels hunting you, of course," Race nodded, "but for normal people, they won't look twice in a place they don't expect you to be. Again, you have to rely on yourself. Pick a place to hide that's close enough that they'll overlook searching it, but far enough away that you can make a break for it later. Choose your time to run carefully – you want to catch them when they aren't ready for you. And once you abandon your hiding place, don't turn back. You might have to hide several times, but you always have to keep moving."

Hasna raised a hand. "What if they _do_ have Sentinels or dogs?"

Race sighed. "Do your best. Dogs and Sentinels aren't infallible, and you all know how to shut down a Sentinel, especially those not trained here. Dogs are harder. In that case, your best advantage is to get away before they know you're gone so you can put a lot of distance between you and any search party before they even start looking. Don't assume you can fool the dogs. Just go where they can't or won't follow or get so far ahead they won't reach you until you've hit safety."

Race sat back on the stool, suddenly weary.

"None of this is foolproof. And all of it is risky. Any move you make might be the one that makes them decide to really hurt you, or even kill you. There's no promises that your captors will make mistakes. And this isn't even the class about picking locks and getting out of ropes. If you're strapped to a table? I'm not sure any of this will help you." He looked up, and his years as a bodyguard were all in his face, his fear for them and his responsibility to them. "And if none of this saves you, I'm so sorry."

"But it will," Blair said. He rose and moved to put a hand on Race's shoulder.

"What do you mean?"

"Rule number one. Don't give up," Blair said. "Even if nothing else you've said today makes any difference, that one _will_ save us all. Because no matter what happens after that, we'll know we have something to believe in, some reason to fight, and something worth surviving for."

"And if the worst happens," Jim's voice was like stone, "then know that there will be justice for you, too. If I can't save you, I'll make them pay. I promise."

Race looked around the room at the nodding heads. He wished he could tell them all that it would never happen, that they would never be in that position. And he hated the world in which they lived sometimes. His eyes fell on Jonny, Jessie, and Hadji, who had known these truths since they were children. _I hate the world that makes you learn these lessons_ , he thought, _even as it makes me want to be better so I can protect you. I can only hope it's enough_.

"Class dismissed."


End file.
